MONCTON, NB – Hockey Canada announced the 22 players nominated for the Canadian Junior National Team for the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will take place from December 26 to January 5 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick. Of the 22 players selected, the six of Brandt Clarke, Ethan Del Mastro, Zach Dean, Adam Fantilli, Brennan Othmann, and Shane Wright are Greater Toronto Hockey League alumni.
Two goalkeepers, seven defenders and 13 forwards were selected by Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont.), chief of the players’ staff, and James Boyd (Midland, Ont. /Ottawa, OHL), head of M20 for the Program of Excellence management group, with the support of Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), Senior Vice-President of Hockey Activities. Chief Coach Dennis Williams (Stratford, Ont. /Everett, WHL) and his assistantsStéphane Julien (Shawinigan, Qc/Sherbrooke, QMJHL), Brent Kisio (Calgary, Alb. /Lethbridge, WHL) and Alan Letang (Renfrew, Ont. /Sarnia, OHL), as well as goalkeeper consultant Kelly Guard (Prince Albert, Sask. /Prince Albert, WHL), also participated in the selection.
Eight of the 22 rostered players won the gold medal at the 2022 edition in Edmonton (Bedard, Del Mastro, Gaucher, Ostapchuk, Othmann, Roy, Stankoven, Zellweger).
“We are delighted to reveal the names of the 22 players who deserved the chance to represent Canada at the Junior World Cup,” said Millar. In our opinion, we have formed a group with a lot of depth and talent that will give us the best opportunity to defend our gold medal at home. The selection camp has given rise to many difficult decisions, and we would like to congratulate our players and their families. We look forward to seeing them proudly wear the maple leaf in Halifax and Moncton. ”
The Canadian junior national team will train at the Garcelon Civic Centre in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, from December 14 to 18 for the 2023 IIHF Junior World Championship. In addition, the team will face Switzerland on December 19, Slovakia on December 21 and Finland on December 23 as part of its preparatory schedule.
The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship begins the day after Christmas with four games. In particular, Canada has an appointment with the Czech Republic at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax at 7:30 p.m. He will also face Germany, Austria and Sweden in the preliminary round. The tournament will end on January 5 with the matches for the bronze and gold medals.
TSN and RDS, the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada, will once again provide comprehensive coverage of the event by presenting the 31 matches of the tournament, as well as the three preparatory matches of Team Canada. In addition, TSN Radio will offer full coverage of the tournament.
For more information about the 2023 IIHF Junior World Championship, please visit the official tournament website at 2023.worldjuniors.hockey.
For more information about Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior National Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca.
GTHL ALUMNI
- Brandt Clarke (Don Mills Flyers)
- Ethan Del Mastro (Toronto Marlboros)
- Zach Dean (Toronto Young Nationals)
- Adam Fantilli (Toronto Jr. Canadiens)
- Brennan Othmann (Don Mills Flyers)
- Shane Wright (Don Mills Flyers)
